Mao, Dominican Republic
About Mao
Mao is the head municipality of the Valverde province in the northwest of Dominican Republic. Mao is an urban center but nearby Amina is a community located within the confines of the numerous banana fields right outside of Mao. A majority of families that live in this community have at least one family member working in the banana fields. Tobacco is the second most harvested crop in this community, providing seasonal work to many. The community is made up of Haitian migrant farm workers and their families, as well as Dominicans. Family and community are highly valued and regular social gatherings often include music, religious worship, or games and sports such as dominoes, baseball, basketball, or soccer.
Barriers to Healthcare:
Lack of educational resources
Rural and isolated communities
Language barriers
What’s happening in Mao?
We support this site through access to clinical care. Your donations help provide preventative health education tools in 3 communities, secure materials to support Community Health Programming, and coordinate COVID-19 education and communication for communities.
Clinical Care
We support this site through access to clinical care.
If a Timmy patient requires more specialized treatment, the patient is referred to the Timmy Global Health Referral Partner Network.
Local Team
Born in the city of Moca in the north of the Dominican Republic, she studied medicine at the Universidad Autónoma De Santo Domingo and graduated as a general physician in the class of 2014. She has worked in different private clinics throughout the country with an inclination to serve the most vulnerable individuals. She has experience working on medical brigades since before she graduated from medical school, as she attended various brigades organized by groups of local doctors. In 2018 she became part of the Timmy-Banelino health team, working in the communities of Amina, Hatillo Palma, and La Caida in Mao. Her calling is to help the people who have the highest needs, primarily children and older individuals.
Dr Nieves Hiciano
Local Doctor
Meet our Partner
Banelino
We work directly with Banelino, a Fair Trade association made up of small banana farm producers. Banelino guarantees year-round banana sales at a fair price, while also investing in programs to improve the health and welfare of the local community. We provide support for Banelino’s medical center, which provides basic consults, emergency visits, lab services, dental care, and pharmaceutical services to workers and their families. Patients are also referred to specialists working in Mao and the nearby city of Santiago at both public and private facilities. We, alongside Baneilno, have established strong ties of collaboration with private and public facilities in the region to ensure the most adequate care for their patients.
